The Right Thing At The Right Time In The Right Way
by soiknowwhentoduck
Summary: Danny can't always say what he wants to say in the heat of the moment, and after the events of 7x18 he regrets being unable to tell Steve how he feels.


Danny stood in his kitchen, stirring the sauce for his seafood meatballs and gazing unseeing at the swirling of his wooden spoon. He wasn't concentrating on his cooking like he should be, not after today's events, but he and Steve had both agreed the minute they'd got back to civilisation – and had regained their hearing – that they needed to get their Ohana together and try to feel normal.

He'd spent the day with his best friend trekking through the Hawaiian rainforest, and for a lot of people that would sound pretty awesome. Except Danny and Steve's day had also consisted of throwing themselves out of a plane (Steve enjoyed that bit, despite Danny's constant, vigorous protests), getting kidnapped by terrorists, a gun fight... Oh yeah, and transporting a live nuclear bomb through rough terrain and undergrowth while completely unable to even warn their friends and the people of Hawaii of the impending explosion that would take out half the Island.

After a day like they'd had, Danny had been torn between drawing everyone he loved in as close as possible just to reassure himself they'd won, or hiding under the biggest blanket possible on his own and sleeping for three days. But Steve, of all people, had tipped the scale and voted for Ohana time. And Danny couldn't resist using it to prove a point to him regarding the other topic of the day: Danny could damn well run an Italian restaurant if he wanted, and he'd make Steve swallow that ridiculously smug laugh he'd emitted upon discovering Danny's retirement plans.

He had the recipes, the cooking skills, the drive and the passion, and he'd make it work. He loved to cook when he had the time, which was rare with this job, admittedly, but it made him feel that little bit more in control.

Right now though, his mind wasn't where it should be, and Danny's attention was suddenly torn from the reverie he'd been in as the sauce began to bubble over the side of the pot and hissed as it hit the hob.

"Shit," he muttered, quickly turning the heat down and using a wet cloth to wipe the mess up before it baked on, "God damn it..."

"You okay there, Chef?" came Kono's mildly entertained voice from behind him, making him jump even more.

"Damn it Kono, you've been hanging around McGarrett too long. You've inherited his ninja skills," he grumbled, wiping his fingers on his apron.

The Hawaiian woman just grinned at him and came further into the room, leaning against the counter top.

"Thought I'd come check on you, see if you needed any help," she shrugged.

Danny shook his head. "I've got this, you're meant to be my guest tonight. Go sit back down in the dining room with everyone else. Anyway I wanna show Steve I can handle a restaurant, wipe that smug grin off his face..."

Kono cocked her head to one side. "You wouldn't be the only one cooking in your restaurant, you'd at least have a sous chef," she reasoned, "Come on, you've had a rough day. Put me to work."

The blonde sighed. "Okay, just... the salad needs doing, that okay?"

He needed to admit defeat somewhere, because he'd set himself a very high target cooking a variety of dishes for so many people tonight, and lord knew he could do with some company to stop his mind wandering.

"No worries, Chef," Kono smiled and moved to the sink, washing her hands thoroughly before getting stuck in chopping the salad ingredients laid out on the side.

They were quiet for a minute or two before Danny noticed his friend kept staring at him.

He sighed dramatically. "What is it?"

Kono's nonchalant act needed work. "Nothing... I just... wondered how you were feeling after today?"

Danny rolled his eyes. It was sweet that she wanted to make sure he was okay, but the last thing he wanted was to think about the roiling emotions that he'd buried for the evening.

"Well, no major physical injuries for a change, so aside from bruising and possible permanent damage to my ear drums and the resulting tinnitus which I will forever blame Steve for? I'm fine."

Kono raised one perfectly manicured eyebrow at him, immediately telling him he was an awful liar.

"Does the eyebrow of doom run in the family or something?" Danny shivered under her piercing gaze, recognising it as a very accurate replica of Chin's 'don't you dare fuck around with me' expression.

Kono snorted and smiled, but she didn't let up on the interrogation.

"No Danny, I mean how are you _really_ doing? Steve said you were talking about retirement and I just wanted to see how you are generally. What's brought that on?"

Danny turned the heat down on the sauce and pulled the meatballs out of the oven.

"Did he tell you about the project Grace was given? That I'm coming up on my twenty?"

Kono frowned. "Yeah, but it's not just that is it?"

Damn, she was too intuitive. He hated that his closest friends were all cops sometimes. He leaned back against the counter and gave in.

"Fine... There's a lot of things, one being that Melissa and I have decided to end things. Being on your own again kind of starts to change your perspective on your future plans..." Danny shrugged and pulled the cloth from his shoulder, dropping it on the side.

Kono looked surprised. "Really? Weren't you guys all doing the double date Valentines thing a couple of week back?"

Danny rolled his eyes at the memory of the whole experience. That weekend had been stressful for so many reasons. He turned to drop the meatballs into the sauce, which was now on a nice simmer, and stirred it.

"It wasn't right between us for a while, and the whole 'get away for Valentines' thing was a bit of a last ditch attempt for us... turned out she would rather not even do that," Danny sighed again, trying not to think about the fact that he'd appreciated having Steve around, and that it had made him realise even more that he'd rather be doing a weekend away with his partner that his own girlfriend and the volumes that spoke. It had been the beginning of the end.

Kono was giving him a sympathetic look and it encouraged him to continue.

"Neither of us were happy, and I began to realise that, aside from spending time with you guys and my kids, I haven't been happy in a long while. So yeah, I've been thinking about what happens when I don't _have_ to risk my life every day. About what happens when I get to enjoy _my_ time... alone. I didn't think Steve would have quite the reaction he did."

Kono laughed and shook her head as if his best friend's response should have been as obvious to him as it was to everyone else.

"Steve depends on you Danny," she said, ignoring when the Jersey man rolled his eyes, "A _lot_ more than you realise. He sees you as so much more than a partner and a best friend, you know that."

Danny stopped stirring and folded his arms protectively as he leaned against the side again. He and Kono had been through this what felt like a million times before, and each time it was a struggle. She was of the opinion that the SEAL and the Ha'ole should have been together years ago, that they were practically married as it was and they were obviously meant for one another. Danny was always torn between denying it all and agreeing outright, but his argument was usually aided by the fact that either he, or Steve, or both of them, were in a relationship – a _straight_ relationship – with someone else, and there had never been any evidence that Steve was anything but one hundred per cent macho hetero Navy boy, through and through.

Kono knew Danny was pansexual, as did Chin, and he was pretty sure Lou had an inkling he wasn't straight. Steve? Oblivious. But Kono had always been the one Danny had confided in and knew he could trust. So she knew he was in love with Steve, however much he tried to deny it, and she knew the struggles he faced when working with that man on a daily basis and having to hold back on his feelings, particularly after almost seven years of partnership.

Danny rubbed the bridge of his nose and once again decided to lean on his colleague's support.

"He uh... he said he loved me again, you know. Right before he thought it was the end," he looked up and met Kono's dark brown gaze, "Like he always does, like it's so natural."

"That's great!" She bounced excitedly, missing his point a little. "Does he know about Melissa?"

Danny sighed in frustration. "No no, it's _not_ great, because it wasn't _that_ kind of 'I love you', Kono. It was 'I love you, bro'. He literally said _bro_. And no, he doesn't know about Melissa." He rubbed at his face, suddenly feeling twice as tired, and a little nauseated at Steve's words ringing in his ears.

Kono was suddenly by his side with a hand on his shoulder. "What's going on, Danny? You guys have said it to each other a million times before. Why is it so hard to hear it now?"

"Because..." he began, squeezing back the tears of guilt that tried to prick at the corners of his eyes. "Because I didn't say it back, okay? I couldn't. I _wanted_ to, even as a friend or a partner, but I couldn't because I was scared, and I know he doesn't mean it that way."

"I think you'd be surprised," Kono tried to encourage him, but he ignored it because he couldn't bring himself to believe Steve might even possibly love him the way he loved that idiot.

"I just don't get how he can say it at times like that. My head is all over the place with worry and plans and worst-case scenarios and he's so level-headed. And he can just _say_ it. Why can't _I_? Am I that terrible a person that I can't tell my best friend that I love him, regardless of what kind of love it is, moments before we really think we're about to _die_?"

Kono leaned in and hugged him tight, and Danny turned in her arms to squeeze back. He'd felt so guilty since that moment, letting the self-hatred gnaw at him through the whole journey through the forest and the panic and the aftermath of the explosion. He'd let Steve distract him with complaints about his lack of involvement in Danny's retirement plans, and he hadn't realised how much he needed this comfort until right now.

Kono's chin rested on his shoulder as she spoke quietly to him. "Danny, you're _not_ a bad person at all. And you shouldn't feel bad for being unable to say it, especially when there is so much turmoil behind those words for you." She gave him an extra hard squeeze and pulled back so their eyes could meet, keeping her hands on his elbows. "Listen, Steve has spent his entire adult life on dangerous missions, waving guns about and dealing with situations like this. He's trained to keep his cool and centre himself. You're more emotional and that's by no means a bad thing. You power your actions from your emotions, but your anxiety interferes with your ability to express yourself sometimes, is all."

She made it sound so simple, and Danny felt his shoulders relax as they finally separated properly.

"How did you become so insightful? No, never mind, you've always been this way," he grumbled good-naturedly, and went back to stirring his sauce and checking on the pasta pot to see if it was ready.

"Damn right," Kono said, and Danny could hear the grin in her voice, "But here's the big difference between you two. Steve is terrible at expressing himself day to day. He's gotten better over time, but he still keeps himself closed off and locked away, though less so with you. You, on the other hand, wear your heart on your sleeve – you let people in and see the real you, the good and the bad."

Kono moved into his line of sight again, sweeping the prepared salad veg into a large bowl. "Steve's zen moment, his focal point, is when he's in control. That's when he can see clearly and knows exactly what he wants. Your clarity comes after the panic, after the mess and disaster, when you can see what you might have lost and take the time to process it."

Danny stared at his friend is disbelief. Everything she said made so much sense, and hearing it from someone so young and so seemingly unaware of her own ability to read people, just absolutely stunned him. Kono was an amazing cop, and she exceeded his high expectations every day.

She continued, oblivious to his amazement.

"Basically, Danny, Steve says 'I love you' when he thinks it's the end and he won't get to say it again. You say it when you know everyone's safe, when you know that you _will_ get to say it again. You both prefer to say those words when you have a clear head, you just work differently is all."

Danny regarded his friend for a long moment. "God, Kono, did you ever think you got into the wrong line of work? I'm pretty sure you need to be a profiler or something..."

She looked over at him and grinned, letting him process her intuitive thoughts.

"Just think about it Danny, I mean it. Maybe stay behind longer after you've helped Steve clean up, have a beer and talk to him so you can clear your head. I'll take Charlie back to his mom's and let you two chill out."

Danny smiled at her kind offer. "You're an angel, Kalakaua, you know that?"

"Well duh," she shot back, grinning.

"And it doesn't help me that he's out there now in that stupid lumberjack checked shirt looking all... sexy..." he grumbled, trying to throw some humour into their intense discussion.

"Aw, you got a thing for the rugged outdoors-y type, eh boss?" Kono teased.

"Shuddup. How about you make yourself even more useful and taste this, huh?" Danny changed the subject, offering her the wooden spoon full of sauce and a seafood meatball.

Kono took it from him and blew on the hot food before trying it.

"Mmm. God, Danny, that's heaven," she groaned. Danny chuckled as she handed him back the spoon, licking her lips. Kono picked up the salad and turned towards the door.

"I'll take this out to the masses, you don't be long with that food. It's amazing," she ordered, and then she was gone.

Danny rolled his eyes and dished up the pasta and the meatballs, still taking in Kono's words. She made sense, he and Steve did work differently, and maybe that was why they made such a good team. They were like yin and yang. Maybe he needed to stop measuring himself and Steve by the same devices and realise they brought very different things to the table, both good and bad.

One thing he was sure of though: he was damn glad to have Kono around to talk some sense into him.

Steve had happily immersed himself in the Ohana from the moment they'd arrived. He let Danny throw himself into the purchase and preparation of the food while the SEAL reorganised his dining room to fit everyone, played with Charlie and greeted the guests. Danny had even conceded to Sang Min joining them at the table, acknowledging the criminal's part in aiding them with the case but insisting he be sat away from his impressionable son.

So when it came to seating plans, Charlie was comfortably tucked into his Uncle Steve's side and poor Kono was having to put up with the fool's continuing advances. No wonder she had spent a lot of the time hiding in the kitchen with Danny, he was probably less hassle than the island native.

He had just finished re-telling the story of driving away from the bomb and flipping the truck, and convincing Danny to name his restaurant 'Steve's', when Kono reappeared with the salad.

"You serious, bruh?" Chin gave him a doubtful look, "That doesn't sound like something Danny would agree to..."

Steve shook his head. "He said it, after the..." He quickly covered Charlie's ears for the next word so as to avoid worrying him. "The explosion. He said 'I'll do it, I'll name it 'Steve's',' and he even confirmed it when I checked!"

He was trying to be careful of what he said in front of Danny's little boy about the details of the day, even swapping out the word 'bomb' in exchange for 'device' in his stories.

Lou shook his head. "Didn't you say you two were mostly deaf at that point? Because of the..." he glanced at Charlie happily chowing down on chopped vegetables, "The you-know-what?"

"Well, yeah," Steve frowned, so sure of what he'd heard above the loud ringing in his ears. "But he definitely agreed to it."

Chin laughed. "Maybe, but only because he was half-stunned!"

Everyone around the table laughed, and Steve felt himself relax into his chair. The day had been tougher on him than he'd like to admit, and not just due to the danger – he was used to that – but more because Danny had been in danger too.

He hated it when his best friend – hell, the man he loved – was in harm's way. It was partly why he'd been torn at the idea of Danny retiring. His initial reaction had been selfish, he knew that, but he couldn't envision his life without his partner by his side at work so he'd tried to discourage the whole idea. But as the day had progressed and Steve had taken note of just how many times Danny had been at the wrong end of the barrel of a gun, or risking being blown up with every pothole or tree root they rolled over, or even when he'd upturned the truck just before the bomb had gone off... he'd slowly come around to the idea that maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing for Danny to be in a nice safe kitchen, somewhere that terrorists were an unlikely threat.

That was why Steve had begun to acquiesce, why he'd finally given in on the condition that Danny keep Steve with him even in the broadest of terms by naming his restaurant after him. And now while he looked down at little Charlie and thought about Grace, who was currently on a movie date with Will Grover much to Danny's barely-contained horror, he knew that all he wanted was for Danny to be far away from risk.

He loved him, after all. Not that Danny felt the same way about his friend, but that didn't stop Steve from mooning over the guy. Not two weeks before, they'd ended up on a double date weekend planned by their respective girlfriends and Steve had spent the entire time wishing the girls hadn't been there. It sounded terrible, but it was true. He'd have skipped the yoga, maybe kept the spa treatments because it had been quite relaxing and Danny's skin had looked touchably soft afterwards, and got in a few more hours on the beach before taking his partner back to their hotel room and... well, there was no point thinking about that now, but suffice to say all beach dining plans would have been cancelled in favour of room service.

He and Lynn hadn't lasted much past Valentine's, and maybe it was because she'd sensed that her boyfriend was more in tune with his male partner than herself, but she'd asked Steve around to talk about things sensibly before they mutually split up. It was for the best, because even if Steve would never really get Danny in that way, it wasn't fair on Lynn to be his stopgap. She deserved more.

Currently he was just focusing on being glad to be alive, and knowing his best friend was currently in Steve's kitchen cooking up a storm brought the widest grin to his face. Danny had barely blinked when Steve had said they should do the food at his house, and the fact his friend was just as comfortable to entertain in Steve's home as he was in his own gave the brunette a warm feeling.

Danny had cooked there before, he knew where all the utensils were without asking, moved around the kitchen like he owned it, and it was all pleasantly domestic. Then he'd kicked Steve out to go and receive their guests, and the Navy man had enjoyed that easy role assignment because it had felt so damn natural.

Danny appeared in the doorway with a huge dish of something that smelled delicious, handing it out to the table of hungry people and introducing it as his grandmother's recipe for seafood meatballs. He even let it pass without a comeback when Steve took a bite and announced that this was definitely going on the menu at 'Steve's', and the SEAL gave Chin a smug look as if to say 'See? He agreed to the name!'

Everyone dug in except for Sang Min, who chose this point to advise of his vegan dietary requirements, and Steve wondered for a brief moment if Danny might actually consider murdering a man in front of his little boy.

Luckily the detective's mood had lightened somewhat after their earlier trials, and he asked Charlie to recite his 'take it or leave it' policy on food. Steve even nodded his head along with the saying as he'd heard it before when dining with Danny's family, and the only reason he didn't say it out loud himself was because his mouth was full of absolutely divine Italian-style seafood.

"You get what you get and you don't get upset," Charlie grinned, and the proud smile on his dad's face made Steve's heart twist.

They all laughed and ate, enjoying just being in one another's presence, and Steve had to admit even to himself that if he had gone to a restaurant and purchased this meal he'd have been more than happy with the place. If Danny could somehow transfer this feeling of home and family into his proposed future restaurant, the locals would be flocking to eat there.

He considered his earlier derisive attitude towards Danny's idea and regretted his reaction, making the decision to apologise at the next available opportunity.

Steve noticed Lou take the call, knowing it must be from HPD who were following up on the terrorists after Five-0 had prevented the initial disaster. The Chicago man was hovering just outside the lanai doors and was throwing concerned looks back in to the group of friends who were all enjoying their dinner, and Steve couldn't stop himself from discovering what had worked his friend up so much.

He went outside and waited for Lou to end the phone call before the man told him about the findings. The construction company logo he and Danny had noticed on the side of the truck they'd used to transport the bomb had been due to be working opposite the Palace the very next day. That bomb had been meant for them; the Governor on her official visit, HPD and Five-0 would have been hit directly by the full force, the centre of the attack.

The sickening, acidic feeling in his stomach forced Steve to suck in a deep breath, and he couldn't stop himself from turning to look at their team through the glass doors. His eyes immediately rested on Danny, who had stolen Steve's seat at the head of the table and was listening to his son tell him about something Steve couldn't hear like it was the most important thing in the world.

He could have lost him; he could have lost his Danny. Charlie and Grace would have lost their father... worse, with the size of that bomb they could have been killed or injured, or survived just to be affected by the radiation. Steve might have had to watch Danny die in front of him, like he'd risked today, only this somehow seemed so much worse because they wouldn't have seen it coming. He wouldn't have been able to tell Danny, in his own stilted way, how he felt before it happened.

And God, the rest of the team. Kono leaving Adam behind, Chin being lost to Abby and Sara, Lou's family crying over his death. His SEAL mind did a quick calculation; working out if their homes were in the blast radius, the nuclear fall out radius... the results of his mental map made him feel dizzy and ill.

"We were the targets," he whispered, eyes focusing back on his best friend at the head of the table.

Lou put a steadying hand on his shoulder from behind, drawing him back to the real world.

"But we weren't. Because of you and Danny, you guys saved us today. You saved Hawaii." The big man's voice was low and reassuring, as if he thought he would scare Steve away if he spoke too loudly.

"Yeah," Steve breathed out, straightening his shoulders, "Yeah I know, I just... Can't help but think. What if we hadn't? What if we'd never found out about their camp in the forest? What if Sang Min had died in my kitchen before I got to him and we'd never known Abati was on the island?"

"No sense in 'what if's, my friend," Lou said firmly, trying to ground him. "Believe me, first thing I thought about was my beautiful wife and kids and I wanted to throw up in your bushes, but then I remembered you two idiots being brought back by helicopter, half deaf and bruised to all hell, but alive. You did it."

Steve met his reassuring gaze and nodded as firmly as he could, thinking about the ride in the helicopter on the way home after being picked up, and how the crew had laughed at the way he and Danny were shouting at one another as they bickered above the high-pitched whine in their ears. The pilot had even commented in jest that they'd never picked up a married couple before, though Steve wasn't a hundred per cent sure it had been a joke.

He allowed a little smile to flicker across his lips at that, before sobering and turning to look at Danny once more who met his gaze and immediately gave him a concerned look before big distracted by Charlie. Even across the room, the briefest of seconds had told his partner there was something wrong with Steve's mood, and the SEAL would never get over how their seemingly psychic communication worked sometimes.

Lou followed his line of sight and sighed heavily. "Just tell him how you feel, would you?"

Steve startled and glanced back at his friend, opening his mouth to argue before acknowledging that Lou had worked him out long before today. The Chicago man had hinted more than once that Steve needed to get over his hang ups and settle down, before pointing out that his 'husband' needed a talking to as well.

"I did," he admitted quietly, "I said it today... He didn't say it back."

Lou snorted, cocking his head to one side. "Okay and lemme guess, you said 'I love ya pal', or 'buddy', some shit that doesn't mean the same as 'I love you, Danny'. Yeah?"

And he was damned if the other man couldn't read him like a book sometimes. He thought about the 'bro' he'd tagged on as a softener, not wanting to scare his best friend away in the event they survived, and cringed.

"Well, yeah... but what if I had? He doesn't feel that way, and we wouldn't be doing all this tonight if he thought I had those feelings toward him. He's retiring just to get away from me as it is!"

Lou practically growled at him, running his hands over his head and looking up to the heavens as if someone might hear his prayers.

"Do you seriously believe that? My _god_ , you idiots are blind. The pair of you!" He pulled Steve further away from the view of the table so as not to draw attention, placing both hands on the SEAL's biceps and shaking him slightly. "You honestly expect Danny to say it back when there's a bomb about to take you both out? Boy won't be thinking straight, I know _I_ wouldn't be! But he loves you, that's for sure. Trouble is, you're both complete morons!"

He waited until Steve glanced back through the glass at the blonde as he cleared dinner plates away. There was a group cheer as Danny said something about tiramisu, the sound muted slightly by the doors. The detective glanced up and caught Steve's eye, checking up on him, and the brunette nodded and smiled back encouragingly.

Lou spoke again. "I'm telling you, McGarrett, he feels the same way you do. He puts up with a lot more than even a best friend would."

Steve met Lou's stern gaze, letting hope well in his chest. "You really think?"

The taller man's response was to practically throw his arms in the air.

" _Think_? I _know_ it! God, you were Navy Intelligence? No wonder this country is going to Hell... Listen here, I want an easy life. I know, I know, it doesn't seem like it because, hell, I joined Five-0 knowing exactly what I was getting myself into with you, McGarrett. Little did I know I was gonna have to put up with two lovelorn idiots who can't see the forest for the trees!" He jabbed Steve none-too-gently in the chest. "If you two actually worked things out, my job, my _life_ , would run so much smoother. Williams would complain a lot less, and you probably wouldn't try to blow half the Island up on a daily basis. Just... do something about it and tell your boy how you feel before I have an aneurysm, okay?"

Steve couldn't help laughing at Lou's put-upon attitude, but he nodded and conceded the point. "I think... I think a part of me has always thought it might be possible..." he shrugged, allowing himself to momentarily let his vulnerability show, "But Lou. I'm... I'm scared. What if-"

Lou interrupted. "Like I said earlier, Steve. No sense in 'what if's. Just do it, or I'll do it for you, I swear to God."

He patted Steve's back and guided him back inside, but not before the SEAL whispered quietly to him.

"Don't tell the team about the construction site until tomorrow," he advised, "Let them enjoy tonight."

Lou nodded in agreement, and Steve made his way into the kitchen to help Danny put the finishing touches to his dessert.

"That looks amazing, Danno," he smiled, leaning up against the fridge freezer.

The blonde beamed at him as he checked his work. "Grazi," he replied, before looking Steve over briefly. "All okay with Lou?"

He'd seen their tense conversation, noted the worry in their expressions, and just needed to know everything was still in order.

"Yeah, just wrapping up parts of the case, you know," Steve glossed over it, wanting to let the mood of the evening stay high. "Listen Danny, I want you to know that..."

Danny's pale blue eyes met his, and Steve had to swallow hard. He left what he really wanted to say for later, but instead made sure Danny realised something almost as important.

"If you serve this sort of food at your restaurant? It's, it's gonna be a hit, man. I mean, it was delicious. The starter, the main, the pasta, it was... You're a great cook, Danno. And we'll _all_ be your biggest customers."

He motioned back towards the other room, indicating their group of friends to let Danny know he was fully supported by every single one of them. The Jersey man felt the broadest grin stretch his cheeks, and his chest swelled with warmth and pride.

"Thanks Steve, that... that means a lot," Danny smiled, giving his partner a soft look. He knew it was hard for Steve to admit any sort of defeat, and after his earlier comments about the Italian restaurant's likely failure that was a huge turn around.

There was a moment where they both just gazed at one another, and Danny could swear his friend wanted to say something else, but when he didn't the blonde had to force an exit before he said something stupid himself.

"Come on, Superman, be useful and bring the cream in, yeah?"

He gathered up the large dish of tiramisu and carried it through to the dining room, Steve following quickly after him with the pouring cream and a pile of bowls to divide the food out into.

The dessert disappeared quickly, with several people asking for seconds and Kono and Lou fighting over who got first dibs on the recipe. Danny laughed when Kamekona began to ask about the ingredients, pointing out there had never had been – nor should there _ever_ be – any form of shrimp in a tiramisu.

The whole group chatted over wine and beer and food until it was practically all gone, but luckily Steve was planning ahead and had squirreled away a couple of Longboards for himself and Danny to have after everyone had departed.

Kono was first to leave with Charlie, who gave his Uncle Steve a cuddle and a kiss on the cheek before hugging his father tightly and politely thanking him for the dinner. He was so tired by that point, Kono had to carry him out to her car. She gave Danny a meaningful look as she left, and he nodded and gave her a tiny salute to let her know he would follow orders.

Chin, Kamekona and Flippa were next out the door, and then Lou who practically had to drag Sang Min along with him to get the man to leave. The criminal really wasn't great at recognising when he'd stayed past his welcome.

The Chicago man promised Danny he would go and pick up their kids from the burger place they'd opted for post-movie, and had to assure him twice that he would be dropping Gracie home with Rachel before taking his own son home with him.

"I'll tell her that her father expects a full report in the morning," he joked, and Danny nodded firmly.

"Damn right," he said, "Not that I don't trust Will, I just want to make sure my kid had fun. Not _too_ much fun, though. Just the right amount of fun."

Lou burst into laughter, but couldn't help agreeing that keeping a close eye on their children was probably the best course of action. Steve showed them out, and Lou prodded him in the stomach when they reached the door.

"Remember my words of advice, will ya?" he murmured, "Danny's not trying to leave you. If he were, he'd have found a way to get his family back to the mainland years ago. Trust me on this."

Steve thanked him, and closed the door behind his friend. He could hear Danny clinking dishes in the kitchen and running the tap, beginning the big clean up after the party, and he meandered through to lean against the doorframe and watch his partner for a moment. He was loading the dishwasher and scraping the remaining scraps of food into the garbage disposal, his apron now untied from his waist and flapping loosely as he moved.

"You gonna help me, or are you hoping your powers of invisibility mean I'll do all the clearing up?" the blonde teased, smiling when it made Steve jump a little.

"A boy can dream," the SEAL retorted, getting to work with wiping down the kitchen island and then the cooker top. "I don't understand how one man can make so much mess!"

Danny rolled his eyes. "Well that's what happens when you're cooking for nine people, things get a bit hectic."

"Eight and a half," Steve corrected, thinking about Charlie, "And just think what it'll be like when you have a full restaurant, huh?"

He squeezed past Danny to wet his cloth under the running tap, and the shorter man barely moved to accommodate his presence. Still so comfortable with physical proximity, as always, and yet it really registered with Steve tonight in the knowledge of what he felt he needed to say. Maybe Lou was right, maybe Danny felt the same? Or maybe he was just a touchy-feely guy.

Steve looked up from the cloth to see a smirk spreading across his partner's features as the shorter man continued to rinse utensils off around him.

"What?"

Danny shrugged. "Nothin'... it's just, you said 'when'."

"When what?" Steve creased his brow, lowering his hand from the tap but still not moving his body away from the solid warmth of Danny's. Either his friend hadn't noticed, or didn't care.

"You said ' _when_ you have a full restaurant', not if, but when."

It had been simple wording, subtle, but said in such a natural way that it showed Danny his friend believed in him however much he had teased earlier. He wasn't just saying the restaurant would be a hit to appease the Jersey man.

Steve tilted his head, thinking back on his words, and finally backed away so he could finish his task of wiping down the surfaces Danny had spilled food on. He considered trying to rile the detective up again, but more than anything he understood that tonight needed to be about honesty.

"Well, if you're so determined to go ahead with this hair-brained scheme then you're obviously going to do a good job of it," he replied, trying to sound nonchalant, "That's what happens when you put your mind to things, Danno. You do a good job. At work, with Grace and Charlie, and now with cooking. So yeah, _when_."

Silence followed and Steve risked a glance back over at Danny, who was still facing away from him and rinsing the last spoon.

"Thanks, Steve," came the quiet reply.

Danny was hoping that Steve hadn't realised he was on the verge of tearing up. He'd expected some sharp, acetic reply – their usual playful banter – and he hadn't for a moment thought that Steve would say something quite so meaningful. To compliment him not only on his work ethic and his cooking skills, but his kids as well? It meant the world.

They finished up washing what they could, dumping the rest in the sink for Steve to deal with the following day, and the brunette fetched the last two beers from the fridge before heading through to the living room and dropping down onto the couch, flicking the TV on.

Danny threw his apron onto the back of a dining room chair and followed him through, letting himself sink into the soft cushions, not having realised how much his back was aching until that point. Cooking was hard work, and Kono was right... he was at least going to need a sous chef if this was his plan for the future.

They clinked the beer bottles together in a silent toast and watched the football game on the screen. It was a repeat, and neither man was really thinking about the game at all.

Danny considered Kono's words from earlier, about realising what he could have lost, and bit his lip. He knew he needed to clear things up with Steve, ensure that his partner knew he cared, even just as a friend.

"You know, Steven..." he began, trying to find a way to let the conversation start off light and work his way up to the deeper stuff, "You know what I'm grateful for right now? Cold beer and football."

Steve was silent, his brow slightly creased, so Danny continued.

"And this, you know? Sitting on the couch with my buddy. Just the really simple stuff. I hate days like today, but the insanity and risk of death and destruction really puts things into perspecti-"

"We were the targets, Danny."

The Jersey man was startled by the quiet interruption, and it took him a moment to register the words that had been said.

"What? What do you mean?"

Steve closed his eyes, regretting his outburst, but it was the only thing he'd been able to think of since Lou had told him. That knowledge had just been sitting there at the back of his mind for the remainder of the evening, and now they were sitting down without any more distractions, it had taken over his thinking completely.

"The truck they used to transport the bomb, the logo on the side, K and L Construction? They were due to be working across from the Palace tomorrow during the Governor's visit," he said as carefully as he could, finally meeting his friend's confused gaze, "They were going to detonate the bomb there, Danny. Five-0, HPD... we were the targets."

Danny felt like the floor had been swiped from under his feet, like the oxygen had been sucked out of the room.

"Holy fuck," he breathed out.

"Yeah," Steve agreed.

Danny stared down at the bottle in his hand, letting the whole situation settle in his brain. They would have been killed, no doubt, and they would never have seen it coming. He shivered. He would never have gotten the chance to wait until the aftermath and have a clear head; he would never have had the chance – like he had right now – to tell Steve how he felt.

"I envy you," he whispered.

Steve stopped picking at the label on his beer and frowned. "Uh... okay? Slight change in topic, there," he snorted, confused.

Danny shook his head, picking up the remote control and flicking the TV off, because his line of thought was in no way disconnected.

"No, no, I'm saying that because I envy how you can just say 'I love you' in a split second. I envy how honest and clear-headed you can be in that moment where everyone else is panicking. How you can just take those few seconds to say what you need to say, just in case. And I'm saying that because you've just told me that we would've died tomorrow if not for everything that happened today, and I somehow fully believe that in our final few seconds you _still_ would have been able to turn to me and say 'I love you, pal'." Danny leaned back and gazed at his best friend.

Steve shrugged, having never really thought of it that way. "I dunno, I say what I think is important, I guess?"

"I... I don't work that way, Steve. I'd love to be someone that can do that, can say the right thing at the right time in the right way, but it's just not me," Danny sighed, looking away so he could take a second to focus, "And I wanna apologise for that, because I want you to know. I should have said it earlier when you said it to me, but so much was happening, so instead I'm gonna say it now and just ask you to bear it in mind the next time we're in some life-threatening situation, okay?"

He looked up and waited for the brunette to meet his gaze before saying it, wanting his friend to see he meant every word.

"I love you, Steve. Okay? That's never going to change, and neither am I, but just remember for next time. I love you."

Steve bit his lip, his throat tightening at hearing Danny's words. They'd said it before a million times in a million different ways, but the depth of emotion and honesty now sitting behind his best friend's eyes sent him reeling. He thought about what Lou had said earlier, and knew he couldn't protect himself by using friendship as a shield this time. No 'pal', 'buddy' or 'bro' would pass his lips.

"I love you too, Danny," he said, simply.

Whole seconds passed before the detective looked away, but Steve could have sworn their psychic link had given him a glance of something deep and meaningful.

Danny placed his beer on the coffee table and ran his hands through his hair. Now he'd begun being honest, he didn't want to stop; now the concept of a sudden, unpreventable death had been introduced to his mind, he somehow needed Steve to be fully aware of how his partner felt, just in case. Steve's reaction to his proposed retirement and the way he'd said he still wanted them to be together in some way was something that had been playing on his mind, and Danny needed to explain himself.

"When I was thinking about retiring, I wasn't thinking about leaving you. I was thinking about leaving Five-0, the job, the danger, and I was thinking about a nice safe life in a little Italian restaurant... but I _never_ considered that it would mean leaving you because that's just something that doesn't seem possible to me, okay?" Danny spoke earnestly, refusing to look at Steve in case it somehow derailed his thoughts.

Steve creased his brow, but listened to what Danny was saying. He'd always admired how Danny could express himself when given the chance, and it seemed like this was something he needed to say. Something Steve maybe needed to hear.

"You were always going to be a part of my life, even if we didn't work together. It never really occurred to me that it would somehow involve leaving you because it's a physical impossibility, Steven. We will always be in one another's lives."

Steve grinned, remembering Danny's earlier response. "Very sentimental."

The blonde huffed out a laugh and smacked Steve's thigh. "Yeah, okay, I'm being sentimental. And I'm doing it now because I should have done it earlier," he smiled, but bit his lip and pressed them together in a thin line.

"Steve... earlier, when you were dismantling the bomb and I said I couldn't think of anything to say before I hid... that was a lie."

The SEAL placed his beer on the coffee table next to Danny's and turned slightly towards him in his seat. "What do you mean? When you said 'good luck'? What were you gonna say?"

Danny nodded and twisted his fingers together. "Well that was the problem... I had too _much_ to say. I tried to think of what my last words to you should be and there were just too many things that came to mind, babe. I couldn't choose, I couldn't decide. I didn't want my last words to you to be something stupid that I'd regret, so I panicked and I said nothing and, god, I felt like an asshole, okay? I ended up regretting what I _didn't_ say. I should've said more."

Steve smiled. "I think we've established that's not how you work, Danno."

"Yeah," Danny risked a glance over at his partner, "I say things afterward when it's too late, huh?"

"It's not too late, though. We won, we survived," Steve reassured him, squeezing his knee before pulling his hand back, wondering if the touch had been too intimate. Danny didn't seem to notice though, he was suddenly looking very determined instead.

"Yeah, you're right," he nodded, meeting Steve's eyes, "So I'm gonna say it now. I'm gonna tell you what I should've said."

The Jersey man shifted in his seat so he was facing Steve, one leg up and lying across the sofa between them. Steve turned more toward his friend and tried to prepare himself for something when he wasn't even sure what to expect.

"What I should've said," Danny began, having to drop his gaze from Steve's face to his chest so he could get out the right words this time, "What I _wanted_ to say..."

He trailed off, mentally kicking himself. God, why was this so hard? He had so much to say and, for a man who normally had no problem voicing all of his opinions, this was the hardest thing to put words to.

"C'mon, Danno," Steve pushed gently, "You never hold back when you're angry, so why hold back now?"

Danny let out a derisive snort. "Because anger drives me, and this time I'm scared. When we were in that clearing? I was scared."

Steve's heart twisted at the shame on Danny's face, but rather than judge or tease he reached out and wrapped his fingers around his partner's forearm, squeezing to reassure him.

"Scared of what?" he asked gently.

"Of losing _you_ , you idiot!" Danny burst out, waving his free arm out like it should have been the most obvious answer in the world and, to him, it was.

So he let it flow, he let all the words come crashing out with no filter, no holding back, because that was what had prevented him from saying it all before. He let his voice become irate, allowed the dam to burst, and when the tears pricked the corners of his eyes he didn't blink them away.

"I wanted to say that I love you, I've always loved you. I wanted to say don't die because I can't face this without you. I wanted to say you're not _meant_ to die here, you're meant to die in bed and surrounded by your family after leading a long, full and idiotic life. I wanted to say that if I'm not allowed to retire and leave _you_ then _you're_ not allowed to die and leave _me_! I wanted to say all of that, but the damn clock was counting down and it would've taken way too long. So instead of all of that, instead of everything, I settled for nothing, okay? But I _wanted_ to say it. I wanted to tell you how much you mean to me!"

Danny had barely taken a breath before Steve's lips were on his, the hand on his forearm now grasping tight and the other on the side of his face. He took in a sharp breath through his nose out of shock, eyes sliding closed automatically, his brain trying to catch up with what was happening, but the moment it did he squeezed his eyes tight shut and kissed the brunette back with a passion.

Steve felt Danny's free hand come up to grip a fistful of his shirt. The arm he was holding slid towards him and that hand grasped at his thigh, and then the Jersey man was leaning into him, opening his mouth against Steve's, and it was all he could do to accept his partner's tongue into his mouth and lose himself in a kiss he'd been wanting for so long.

Danny used his hold on Steve's clothing to drag him in, crush their mouths together, drown in his best friend until he couldn't breathe anything but Steve.

It was heat and passion and need, tongues wrestling and teeth colliding, stubble scraping and fingers bruising; both men finally allowing themselves to take what they wanted and feel what they had suppressed, allowing their desire to bubble to the surface instead of forcing it back down again. It was heaven and neither of them wanted it to end.

The emotions from his speech were still churning in Danny's chest, and he was barely aware of the hot tear tracks running down his face until Steve broke the kiss to gasp in air and moved both his hands to Danny's cheeks and wipe the wetness away.

He screwed his eyes shut tightly and dragged oxygen into his lungs, feeling light-headed and dizzy, and he moved his hands so they were both settled on Steve's shoulders and locked his fingers into that ridiculous lumberjack shirt that he liked so much. Maybe if he let go Steve would disappear, everything would be undone, that kiss wouldn't have happened... so he held on for dear life as their foreheads rested together and they re-learned how to breathe.

Steve was panicking inside, even if he wasn't letting it show on the exterior. His heart was beating wildly, thoughts in a whirl. What had he done? He vaguely remembered something deep inside him making the decision to kiss Danny before his brain could stop it, because damn it everything that had come out of his friend's mouth had absolutely killed him.

It was perfect. _He_ was perfect. And it had sounded so much like the very thoughts Steve had been having himself.

But now he was freaking out, because he could have been mistaken. Danny might not have meant 'love' in that way, and when he said he cared he hadn't elaborated exactly. Steve could have just made a huge mistake... but that kiss hadn't felt like 'I care about you as a friend'.

Danny eventually leaned back from him, and Steve opened his eyes to find Danny's sandy lashes lowered, his gaze down and not meeting his own. Shit.

The blonde licked his lips and cleared his throat, trying to get his thoughts realigned. He wasn't entirely sure what had just happened, but he knew they needed to talk.

"So uh... so that's what I should've said, anyway," he muttered, pressing his lips together to try and retain the memory of Steve's against them.

"I'm kind of glad you didn't, to be honest." Steve breathed out, and Danny finally met his eyes, confused.

He stilled when he saw that his partner's eyes were as damp as his own, and he wondered when Steve had welled up. Was it when Danny had finally bared his soul? Or during that pulse-pounding kiss?

"Huh?" he whispered, his heart sinking a little in his chest, but Steve's tiny smirk kept his hopes buoyed.

"Well, I'd have been too busy kissing you to remove the uranium from that bomb, and we'd have taken half the Island with us," the SEAL admitted, simply.

Danny released a little laugh, relief washing over him. "Well... At least I would've died happy," he shrugged.

Steve grinned and leant forward to kiss him again, but Danny put his hand up between them and over his partner's mouth.

"What about Lynn?" he asked suddenly, knowing it could bring them to a screeching halt but not wanting to be the cause of pain for Steve's girlfriend.

Steve pulled his hand away. "We broke up a week ago, Danny. She said she didn't want to be with me when I was clearly in love with someone else."

Danny frowned and pulled back even further, leaning back on his hands on the couch. "You're in love with someone else?"

Steve simply raised his eyebrows and smiled at his best friend like he was patiently waiting for Danny to catch up.

"Oh," the detective mumbled, realisation dawning, "Oh, I see..."

"Is it okay if I kiss you now?" Steve purred, moving forward again until his body was hovering over Danny's, their lips inches away.

"Aren't you gonna ask about Melissa?" Danny whispered.

Steve shrugged. "You two split up two days after Valentines. She told Lynn who told me. That's kind of what sparked our break up, actually."

Danny rolled his eyes. Of course Steve had known, Steve knew everything about him. Sometimes before he even knew it himself.

"So... can I kiss you again?" the SEAL asked, erasing all but the last inch of distance between them, his chest pressing against the shorter man's.

Danny's answer was to capture Steve's lips with his own, his arms wrapping around the brunette's back and bringing them both toppling down to the couch. Steve worked his way on top of Danny as they kissed, their bodies causing friction and heat as he moved over the blonde and got his knees into position either side of Danny's. Their crotches rubbed together and they both gasped into the kiss as sensation zipped up their spines.

Steve deepened the kiss, invading Danny's mouth with his tongue as he purposefully ground their hips together in a silent question. Danny moaned and pushed up against him, strong fingers massaging his back through the fabric of his clothing and travelling lower, dragging the hem of his shirt up to expose his skin.

Steve finally managed to pull back enough to speak, Danny breathing in his muffled words as he barely let his lips go.

"God Danny, I want you. Want this."

Danny groaned and reached up to pull at Steve's hair and bite down his throat. He'd always wanted Steve, always loved him and found him attractive, and wondered what it would be like to be with him.

"I didn't know how good you'd feel," he whispered against Steve's skin, making him shudder, "We've waited too long for this."

Suddenly Steve was hauling himself off his body, and Danny practically cried out in disappointment. His hand was taken and he was dragged into a standing position, Steve's mouth closing over his again. The taller man guided him backwards towards the stairs, aiding the detective in navigating the steps even as they continued to bite at one another's lips and nibble at any exposed flesh they could find.

Steve had to get his partner upstairs, needed to get them into his room and his bed. He had wanted this practically since the day he'd met Danny, found him sexy and attractive, and it hadn't taken long for him to fall in love with his best friend either, even if he maybe didn't realise it straight away. The anxiety-ridden Ha'ole meant the world to him, and the fact that they seemed to be willing to brave anything for each other, go through hell and back to do what was needed, had been proved time and again. Steve had just never thought he could possibly be this lucky.

They made it up the stairs and he backed Danny through into the bedroom and over to the bed, desperate hands tugging at his partner's shirt even as he felt Danny begin to attack his jeans fly. The SEAL didn't have a plan right now, he was just winging it, but at least Danny seemed as sure as he did that this needed to happen.

The breathy groan Steve pulled from his friend as he bit down over his throat sent a rush of goosebumps down his back, and the only thing he could concentrate on right now was getting Danny naked and drawing more noises like that from the man.

Danny managed to finally wrestle Steve's jeans undone, and he quickly went to work unbuttoning the taller man's shirt, spreading it wide and running his hands up over that smooth expanse of abs and chest before he pulled it from Steve's shoulders. He kissed down the brunette's neck, over his collarbone, and then pulled back to take a second and let his eyes take in the work of art in front of him.

Steve gazed down at him with hungry, dark eyes, his eyelashes low as he also scanned down Danny's body. He'd got as far as opening the shorter man's shirt and delving his hands inside the back of Danny's jeans, but he'd gotten distracted with massaging the blonde's ass cheeks and had seemingly forgotten about the stripping.

"Fuck, Steve," Danny breathed out, "Look at you..."

Steve bit his lower lip and reached up to tug Danny's shirt off him and drop it to the floor. Then he grinned wolfishly before shoving the detective down to the bed and making him shout out in surprise.

He dropped down over Danny, kissing his lips hard before tracking along his jaw, mouthing down his neck and over his chest to swirl his tongue around peaked nipples. Danny gasped and laced his hands into Steve's hair, arching his back up towards the man's hot mouth as he moved further down his body.

The blonde let go of his friend and happily lifted his hips to help Steve divest him of his jeans and boxers, and it suddenly occurred to Danny that he was now very much naked for the first time in front of the man he loved. His cheeks pinked and he panted hard as he blushed under the heat from Steve's gaze, lifting up onto his elbows on the mattress so he didn't feel completely at his mercy.

Steve allowed his eyes to rake down Danny's body, swallowing hard as he took in the golden hair that covered his broad chest and formed a V-shape that led down over his abs to his cock. And what a gorgeous cock it was; long, thick and hard, and leaking precome onto Danny's stomach, framed by the perfect adonis belt that Steve had observed before when they'd been surfing or in the showers at HQ.

"You are gorgeous," he moaned, smiling when he noticed Danny's flushed cheeks.

He was embarrassed, and Steve found that all kinds of adorable but he also didn't want his partner to be uncomfortable, so he stripped off his own jeans and underwear to put them on a level playing field. Danny seemed to relax at that, his eyes dropping to see Steve fully exposed for the first time.

The cop had seen his friend in various states of undress before, because lord knew the man wasn't shy about changing his shirt in the middle of the office or stripping down to his underwear to change into wetsuits when on a mission, but in all their six and a half years of friendship he had never once witnessed Steve fully nude. He was heavenly; solid muscle moving under tanned skin, and his dick was large and standing at full attention as he loomed over Danny.

"Fuck," Danny sighed, "I think there was a little part of me that wanted some imperfection to prove you weren't superhuman, but that's out the window, I guess."

Steve chuckled. "Well, I've got some scars if that makes you feel better," he offered, trailing his fingers down one in particular. The one he'd been given during the liver transplant that had saved his life.

The corner of Danny's mouth quirked upward as he subconsciously touched his own matching raised scar.

"Strangely no, that does _not_ make me feel better, Steven," he replied, but he pushed up so he was sitting on the side of the bed and reached out for Steve's thigh to draw him in closer.

The SEAL groaned when Danny kissed the very top of his scar, letting his head fall back as he rested his hands on the detective's shoulders and focused on the feeling of his soft lips planting butterfly-light kisses every half inch or so. He was barely halfway down when one hand closed around the girth of Steve's cock and made him moan loudly and dig his fingers into that thick muscle.

"God, Danny," he whispered, hips twitching forward as the cop continued his journey to the base of his scar.

Then his best friend's hot mouth was closing over the head of his dick, and Steve lost all ability to think straight. He let out a voracious, desperate noise, and Danny responded by taking him in further, licking around the bulb of his head and sucking gently.

Steve felt a shudder run down his body, and he looked down to see the beautiful image of his own cock disappearing into Danny's mouth. Pale blue eyes flicked up to meet his, and Danny worked him in and out a few times before taking a deep breath and deep throating him entirely.

"Oh, _fuck_!" Steve cried out as he was plunged into the tight, wet heat of Danny's throat.

He pulled on his friend's hair as his stomach muscles contracted, stealing his breath away, and Danny pulled off him and gasped in oxygen. It was just in time, because Steve was pretty sure he would have come within seconds if it had continued. He was more than worked up, and that had felt amazing.

"Jesus Christ, Danny," he growled when he managed to get his own breath back, "That was... Jesus..."

Danny chuckled as he watched Steve back away unsteadily, content that he'd at least managed to surprise his partner, even if his throat now felt rather raw. He felt his pulse quicken as he saw Steve yank open the top drawer of his bedside table, delving inside to fish out a bottle of lube.

The taller man seemed to pause, as if he were unsure how they were about to proceed, but Danny figured he would make the decision for his friend and backed himself up the bed. His eyes were on Steve the whole time as he laid his head back on the pillows and spread his legs, hitching his knees up slightly.

He wanted this, wanted nothing more than to have Steve above him, inside him, taking Danny as his own, and he gripped the sheets and met the SEAL's eyes to let him know that was the case. Steve appeared to get the message because he whined appreciatively and moved to get his knees onto the bed, shifting until he was settled in between Danny's thighs.

"Are you sure, Danny?" His voice was low, calm and measured, but his eyes held so much hope.

The cop smiled. "I'm sure."

Steve gazed down at the other man, trailing his hands reverently over his hips and stomach before picking up the lube and dousing his fingers with the slippery liquid. He knelt up and leaned over Danny's body, kissing him gently while his fingers traced down from the Jersey man's balls and over his hole. He massaged gently, intensifying the kiss before nudging one finger inside his friend.

Danny gasped and gripped at the sheets, tensing around the intrusion for just a moment before fighting the sensation and relaxing his muscles. He hadn't been with a guy for a while, but he wasn't about to let that ruin things. Steve paused, breaking their kiss and waiting for him to be comfortable before sliding further inside, and Danny was grateful for his patience.

He moaned as the sensations began to feel pleasurable, and Steve gave him something more to focus on when his tongue left a wet line up the underside of Danny's erection and his lips encircled the head.

The Navy man revelled in the sounds Danny began to emit, unrestrained and needy as he stretched out below him. He lost himself in the feel of his partner's silky cock under his tongue, the tight heat of him as Steve pressed a second finger inside his hole and sought out his prostate.

Lightning shot up Danny's spine and pleasure exploded in his brain as Steve massaged over his gland, fingers sliding back out only to return and repeat the same action. His mouth had engulfed Danny's cock now, and he bobbed up and down with a slow rhythm that kept the blonde on the edge while his fingers carefully worked him open.

"More," Danny gasped, raising his hips and pushing against the digits inside him.

He needed, wanted, had to have Steve's cock inside him. The brunette was being gentle and careful, but if anything it was too slow, and Danny was getting desperate for him to pick up the pace.

Steve pulled off Danny's cock, enjoying the way his partner appeared to want more of him, and when he went to lick up his erection again Danny's hand was suddenly in his hair, gripping tight, pulling him upward until their mouths could meet again. The detective kissed him with a hunger that could rival his own, and Danny bit down on his lip when he finally worked three fingers into his entrance.

They cursed into one another's mouths and panted hard, and Steve's cock throbbed with just the thought of being inside his best friend.

"Danny, I can't..." he gasped. "I can't wait anymore."

"Then _don't_!" Danny growled, hooking his ankles behind Steve's thighs and pulling him insistently in towards his goal.

He grabbed up the lube, pouring some into his hand before smoothing it onto Steve's cock and guiding him down. The brunette grunted, even more turned on by the contact and the forceful way in which Danny was suddenly taking control, and then he had to withdraw his fingers and the tip of his dick was nudging at Danny's opening.

Steve braced himself, one hand on the bed and the other on the underside of Danny's bad leg, spreading him wider. He rolled his hips down and forward, pushing past the ring of muscle and finally breaching the blonde's ass.

Danny winced as the wider part of Steve's head stretched his hole, but the moment he slid inside the discomfort turned to absolute bliss. It felt so good, so right, to have that man's cock within his body, and Danny moaned and grasped Steve's ass to pull him in further.

Steve tucked his face into the side of Danny's neck as he gradually slipped all the way inside him, groaning wantonly when he was finally buried balls deep in the other man.

It felt wicked, sinful, and unbelievably fantastic to finally have what he had wanted for so long, and he wanted the moment to last forever. But Danny squeezed at the back of his neck, needing him to move, and there was no way he could pass up the opportunity to give the detective, and himself, the pleasure they both desired.

He pushed up onto his hands so he could watch Danny's face and pulled back slowly, savouring the sensations before sliding back in again, picking up a steady pace which had them both moaning and panting. They had never shied away from eye contact, and now was no exception; the intensity of emotion it brought into the heady mix was almost too much for Steve, but he refused to break that link.

Danny kept his legs wrapped around Steve's thighs, refusing to let him pull too far out and encouraging the smooth thrusts that seemed to deepen with each lunge.

"Steve... fuck..." he panted, letting his hands travel over and map every part of the SEAL's torso, feeling the roll of muscle under his skin as he moved.

The way his boss moved was incredible, using the strength of his muscular form to keep his pace steady and his drives long, and Danny was pretty sure he could happily watch this graceful dance all day if it weren't for his gaze being constantly drawn to those beautiful hazel-blue eyes.

It felt amazing to have that man take him so readily, but if there was one thing Danny had learned from today it was that sometimes, in the heat of the moment, he needed to find and take his own control.

The only warning Steve had was a flash of determination in the cop's eyes, and he grunted with surprise when Danny's legs suddenly released him, causing him to pull out due to the lack of resistance. His brain wasn't fully back in gear before his shoulders were grasped and his world tilted, and when he worked out what was going on he found he was looking up at his partner from the flat of his back on the mattress, and Danny was straddling his hips and reaching back to guide Steve's cock back inside him.

Danny practically howled in pleasure as he slid back down Steve's erection, the angle ensuring that the head pressed directly over the blonde's sweet spot and made his toes curl. He wasted no time in building a rhythm, canting his hips forward and leaning back to find the perfect position to take them both to breaking point.

He placed his hands on Steve's thighs for support, and thrust forward to raise and lower himself on the thick cock inside him, and the pressure in his abdomen began to increase as his need to come overtook everything else.

Watching Danny move above him was ridiculously erotic, and Steve found himself biting down on his lip and digging his fingers into those perfect hips hard enough to leave bruises. And God, he wanted to mark Danny, wanted to write his name all over his body, leave a stamp anywhere that someone might care to look that told them this man belonged to Steve McGarrett.

He could feel the tension in his body, the tight knot forming in his belly that told him he was so close to his release, and he used the nails of one hand to scratch down Danny's sweat-slick abs and make him gasp while the other wrapped around that deliciously heavy cock and pumped his shaft smoothly. The slick grip of Danny's ass on his dick and the fluidity of his movements brought Steve right to the brink, and he sped up his hand on the other man's erection to ensure they came together.

The feeling of Steve inside him, his gun-calloused hand caressing his cock, took Danny to his limits. He climaxed with a shout, spilling his seed over Steve's chest and stomach and clenching around him until he saw stars as he continued to ride his cock until he felt the SEAL fall over the edge.

Steve bucked underneath Danny, forcing his cock hard up inside him with one final thrust, pumping his heat deep into his partner. He moaned as he claimed his lover's body, arching his back and wrapping his arms tightly around Danny's back when he collapsed down on top of him.

He gently rolled them to the side, pulling out of the blonde and holding him close as they came down from their orgasmic highs, and they stayed wrapped in one another for a long time.

Danny was the first to recover, his hand sliding gently over Steve's stubbled jaw and cheek, and kissing his partner lazily while he stretched his back out like a cat to ease the kinks forming there.

Steve smiled against his lips, running his hands down Danny's back and finding the skin damp with sweat. He knew he was filthy himself, but he couldn't quite bring himself to suggest that they move from the embrace, even to wash.

"I love you," he murmured into the still air between them.

Danny smiled and let those words wash over him, noting the pleasant lack of the usual 'buddy' or 'pal'.

"I love you, too," he replied, and God did it feel so good to say it back, especially under these circumstances. Especially after today.

"That was amazing." Steve spoke into the top of Danny's head.

"And it only took us six and a half years to let it happen," the Jersey man sighed, but when he felt Steve take in a deep breath to reply he smacked his hip, "And don't you _dare_ try and give me an exact number of months and days, Steven. I swear to God it unnerves me how you can do that."

He felt the brunette chuckle and smile against his forehead, and he pulled back so they could see each other's faces.

"What matters is that we know now. And, I don't know about you, but... I don't want to lose this. I don't want that to be the last time."

Steve gave him a soft look and grinned. "I can _guarantee_ you that was not the last time, Danno," he winked, "Nobody can resist this."

He playfully flexed his pecs and abs, having noticed the way the other man seemed to enjoy viewing his body.

Danny laughed. "Oh, someone's confident."

"Yup," Steve rolled onto his back and guided Danny's head onto his chest, scratching lightly with his nails at the back of his partner's neck to make him purr. "And now I know what _our_ retirement plans will be, we can start making arrangements."

Danny snorted. "Do tell, SuperSEAL. What decisions have you just made for _my_ future as well as your own."

"Well every restaurant needs a bar," the brunette reasoned. "Where people can wait for their table, have a couple drinks, provide extra revenue for the business in the process..."

Danny frowned, but couldn't help but agree. It actually sounded like Steve had already put a lot of thought into it, maybe during the meal earlier.

"So I'll run the bar at 'Steve's', you can do the cooking, maybe Grace can do some front of house stuff to earn a bit of extra allowance, and Charlie when he's old enough."

Danny's face broke into a wide grin at the mention of his kids, and it warmed his heart to know that Steve was so invested in this as to consider their future as a unit, a group... a family.

"Sounds wonderful," he conceded, "But there's just one problem."

"What's that?" Steve asked, absently kissing the top of his head again.

"Well, I told you already, we're _not_ calling the restaurant 'Steve's'," Danny explained.

He was suddenly and unceremoniously tipped off his lover and onto the mattress. Steve rolled to lean over him, brow furrowed and a frown curving his lips downward.

"You said you _would_!"

"No, I never," Danny stuck a finger up between them to warn his partner. "After the explosion I explicitly said I _can't_ name a place like that 'Steve's', it just doesn't sound right!"

Steve glared at him. "You said you _could_ name it 'Steve's', you liar."

Danny spluttered and shook his finger in Steve's face until the taller man grabbed it and forced his hand down to the mattress.

"I most certainly did _not_. I think you misheard me, because I'm pretty sure you'll remember we were both ninety per cent deaf at that point?" He stopped and rolled his eyes. "I did wonder why you looked so goddamned happy after I said that, I figured you were just being your usual insane self..."

"You're just trying to get out of it." Steve grumbled, though his eyes had a playful spark to them.

He took hold of Danny's other wrist and held it to the mattress beside his head, raising his body over the shorter man's. The blonde flexed his chest in response, giving him a defiant look.

"I did _not_ say I'd ever call it 'Steve's'," he insisted, even as the brunette's teeth grazed his throat and made his eyes roll back in his head. "You were sorely mistaken."

Steve closed his teeth over one nipple and made Danny jolt and gasp.

"Well, I'll just have to work very hard to convince you..."


End file.
